Janaya Stoddard
North Island ▷ Ruapehu ▷ Taumarunui ▷
5.0/5
The best $17 I've spent.
This place is not only an amazing place to spend the night, it is a wildlife sanctuary and has wonderful natural sites. After doing some free laundry (!), we went for a walk to the old train tunnels at the recommendation of the owner Jo, which was lovely. *Caution, watch out for the broken board on the bridge to the left. Gave us a scare when we realized how close we came to falling through to our likely demise. We also went on the walk to the gorge (45 mins round trip), which was STUNNING and a highlight of our trip so far. We saw some millions of years old fossilized shells, wild horses and goats. Watch for the cows, they roam free off of the site of the actual camping grounds and this could potentially be dangerous. The facilities (bathroom, free unlimited & hot showers, full kitchen, fire pit and wood stove for pizza) are so homey and comfortable, not to mention clean! We loved it here and felt at home. Would recommend to anyone.